Duke AD White thrilled to re-up McCallie through 2018-19

Duke NCAA college basketball women's head coach Joanne P. McCallie speaks to the media during a press conference, Monday, April 1, 2013 at the Ted Constant Center in Norfolk, Va. Duke will play Notre Dame on Tuesday in the regional final. (AP Photo/Jason Hirschfeld)

The way her women’s basketball players perform in the classroom only serves to complete the reasons why White sought to keep her at Duke for many more years.

“Joanne’s amazing track record of success — both on and off the basketball court — speaks for itself,” White said in a statement as Duke officially announced McCallie’s contract extension on Friday.

The extension was originally reported online at www.heraldsun.com Thursday night and in Friday’s paper.

“With her extraordinary winning percentage, coupled with outstanding graduation rates and academic success, we are extremely proud to have an elite coach such as Joanne firmly established as the leader of the Duke women’s basketball program. To be sure, we are thrilled to announce this long-term extension to secure Joanne’s considerable talents at Duke University for the long term!”

Duke’s coach since 2007, McCallie’s new contract runs through the 2018-19 season.

On the court, McCallie has led Duke to four consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. The Blue Devils completed a 33-3 season on April 2 with an 87-76 loss to Notre Dame in the Norfolk Regional final.

Duke went 17-1 in the ACC this season, winning at least a share of regular season championship for the third time in the last four seasons, before winning the ACC Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons.

Duke’s players have also excelled in the classroom under McCallie. The Blue Devils compiled a 3.3 team grade point average last fall and had five Academic All-ACC players.

For the 2009-10 school year, Duke’s women’s basketball program was honored by the NCAA with a Academic Progress Rate public recognition award for having a score within the top 10 percent of its sport.

“I’m delighted that Duke University will be able to rely on the commitment of coach Joanne P. McCallie for years to come,” said Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead said in a statement. “Joanne’s record of achievement with Duke women’s basketball is rivaled only by her superb leadership and mentorship of our student-athletes. Joanne’s continued role as head coach ensures that Duke women’s basketball lives up to our highest aspirations for athletics at Duke while being aligned with our fundamental university values.”

In an interview with the Herald-Sun on Thursday night, McCallie lauded the leadership from Brodhead and White as a major reason she wanted to be at Duke for the long term.

She also said it’s important for her family to have some stability in what can be an unstable profession.

Maddie McCallie, John and Joanne McCallie’s oldest child, just completed her freshman basketball season at Miami (Ohio). But Jack McCallie, the couple’s son, is a Durham Academy student who has more peace of mind about finishing high school in Durham.

“My family and I are just thrilled to extend our time in Durham and to represent Duke University, while working with such a great group of women and exceptional staff,” McCallie said in a statement on Friday.

Duke has a 174-35 overall record in McCallie’s tenure. Her record in ACC games is 77-13, giving her an ACC all-time best 85.6 winning percentage. She has been named ACC Coach of the Year three times, including the last two seasons.

Next season, Duke will return its five starters and its top seven scorers. The Blue Devils will also add the nation’s No. 2-ranked recruiting class that includes three McDonald’s All-Americans.

Alexis Jones, who just completed a freshman season where she won the ACC Tournament’s most valuable player award, said in comments released by Duke that McCallie’s passion stands out

“Coach P is a great coach and is very passionate about everything she does,” Jones said. “Her contract extension is a good thing because she brings in top recruits every year and her new extension will help recruiting in the future. I am excited about playing for her the next three years.”